Talkeetna murder charge dismissed

Palmer District Attorney Roman Kalytiak said Monday he dismissed the charge against Rex Davenport last week. Kalytiak said he wants to collect more evidence before deciding whether to take the case to a grand jury.

The prosecutor said key questions in the case are whether the state can prove murder beyond a reasonable doubt and whether suicide can be excluded by a medical examiner.

Davenport, 32, was arrested last month and charged with first-degree murder after he reported his wife had been fatally shot at their home off the Parks Highway.

Davenport told Alaska State Troopers that Irene Davenport, 40, shot herself while they were arguing.

Troopers, however, said that evidence found at the home didn't support that scenario. Investigators said Irene Davenport did not show injuries typical of a close-contact gunshot.

But Kalytiak said that the initial autopsy did show signs of a close-contact wound. Among evidence he's waiting for are lab tests done on blood found on Davenport's shirt.